Lost kayaker found safe thanks to thermal imagery drone technology

FORREST COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – Forrest County Emergency Management responded to a call over the weekend.

“The fortunate thing for her is that she had a plan,” said Glen Moore, executive director.

Around 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, multiple agencies began their efforts to locate a stranded kayaker.

“She wasn’t dressed for anything overnight,” said Tim Gordy, area coordinator for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) District 8. “She had on a pair of shorts and a shirt.”

A two-hour kayak adventure, now an overnight rescue mission within a remote area of the DeSoto National Forest. No cell phone, no flashlight and only a couple of bottles of water. Her concerned husband contacted law enforcement.

“She missed her take-out point of the creek, where the canoe rentals go and pick the kayakers back up,” said Moore.

Due to low water levels along Black Creek, crews could not send boats upstream. That’s when MEMA used their thermal imagery drone to locate the…